Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago. May 11, 2026. The Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA), is leading the regional observance of Caribbean Mosquito Awareness Week (CMAW) 2026 from May 11 to 15 under the theme “Stop Disease Transmission, Start Source Reduction” and the tagline “Clean Up Today, Keep Mosquitoes Away”. This year’s observance, funded by CARPHA’s Pandemic Fund project, continues CARPHA’s push for practical household and community action to reduce mosquito breeding and prevent mosquitoborne diseases across the Caribbean.
In remarks marking the 2026 observance, Dr Lisa Indar, Executive Director of CARPHA, underscored the continuing public health threat posed by mosquito-borne diseases in the Caribbean. She noted that the Region continues to face outbreaks of vector-borne diseases such as dengue and malaria in some countries, while CARPHA is also monitoring the re-emergence of yellow fever and chikungunya in South American territories, with the potential for wider spread across the Caribbean. She stressed that these diseases continue to affect lives, families, and communities, reinforcing the need for ongoing vigilance and coordinated regional action.
Dr Indar stated, “Mosquito control begins at home, in our schools, in our workplaces, and throughout our communities”.
Dr Indar also emphasised that the Caribbean’s response must be regional, coordinated, and evidence-based. Through its vector-borne disease networks, training, and response mechanisms, CARPHA continues to support Member States in strengthening surveillance and early warning systems, vector control guidance, capacity building for health and environmental officers, and risk communication and community engagement.
As part of this year’s programme, CARPHA is also engaging young people through on-site student activities focused on integrated vector management and vector-borne disease prevention, including interactive learning stations, source reduction demonstrations, personal protection education, and technology showcases for primary and secondary school students.
Delivering remarks on behalf of the Honourable Michael Dowlath, Minister of Education, Trinidad and Tobago at the CMAW Opening Ceremony at CARPHA’s headquarters, Dr Matthew Desaine, Education Medical Officer, Ministry of Education, noted, “Mosquito control is not the responsibility of one ministry, one agency, or one sector alone. It requires shared responsibility and sustained collaboration”. He further added, "Schools are not only places of academic instruction. They are also powerful centres for health promotion, community engagement, national development and positive change”.
To support regional participation, CARPHA has developed an online Caribbean Mosquito Awareness Week (CMAW) toolkit featuring public education resources, including comic strips, social media cards, banners, screensavers, bookmarks, and downloadable audio materials such as the CMAW jingle and radio ads.
The Agency is also inviting public participation through its regional Instagram Reel Competition 2026, which encourages residents of CARPHA Member States aged 18 and over to create short reels highlighting source reduction and mosquito-borne disease education. The competition runs in two cycles from May 18 to June 12, 2026, with prizes awarded to the winners of each cycle.
CARPHA encourages Member States, partners, schools, communities, and households to use the observance to raise awareness, support clean-up activities, and share key prevention messages throughout the Region. The CMAW toolkit is available at caribbeanmosquitoweek.carpha.org, and Reel Competition details are available at https://caribbeanmosquitoweek.carpha.org/Instagram-Reel-Competition.
About CARPHA:
The Caribbean Public Health Agency, CARPHA, is the sole public health agency for the Caribbean and works with Member States and partners to strengthen public health systems, build capacity, and respond to regional health priorities.
All stakeholders are encouraged to visit the CMAW webpage at: https://caribbeanmosquitoweek.carpha.org to download materials and join in the collective push for source reduction. Information on the Instagram Reel Competition can also be found via the webpage.
More information on the work the project can be found of CARPHA’s website, www.carpha.org and its social media pages; Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram.
Photo Captions:
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Photo Caption: Students and teachers from the Valencia R.C. Government Primary School (front) are joined by (back LR) CARPHA Directors Dr. Horace Cox and Dr. Mark Sami, Dr Matthew Desaine, Education Medical Officer, Ministry of Education and Dr. Roshan Parasram, Head, Vector Borne Diseases Unit, CARPHA, at the media launch for the Caribbean Mosquito Awareness Week 2026 at the CARPHA Headquarters in Trinidad on May 11th, 2026.
Photo Caption: Photo collage of primary and secondary school-aged children from various schools throughout Trinidad who visited the interactive booths at the CARPHA headquarters during the Caribbean Mosquito Awareness Week Activities 2026.
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